Anyway to determine what cam?.....
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 48
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Help Solve the mystery............ I bought my car from a dealership, and due to legal restrictions, they cannot provide me with the info from the previous owner. I did a carfax before I bought it, but that too does not provide the owners name.
I know the obvious mods, QTP's, borla exhaust, BBK 80MM, SLP air lid and MAS, LS6 intake, Spec clutch...But it feels like the car has a cam. At idle, the shifter (m6) wobbles a little, like the engine is lopey. It idles stock sound wise, no real noticeable lopey sound, but it runs a little rough at less than 1500 rpm's and smooths out and pulls like a bandit up to 6K. With all the mods and only 30K on the car, it would seem to me that the previous owner probably dropped some coin on a cam. Is there any way to tell for sure? And if so, is there anyway to tell what cam was put in?
Besides porting the stock heads, I want to ensure that I get a nice streetable cam for it. I don't want to spend cash to buy a cam package only to find out I already have one installed, and maybe even a good one!
I know many of you will say you should have known what you bought, but except for engine internals, everything else I checked out in detail, but due to privacy rules, I have no way of find out the previous owner to ask about it.
Is there possibly another resource to find out who the previous owner was? Or if the car had a tune done to it, would having it hooked up for another tune reveal anything to me about what may have been done internally?
By the way, he traded this in and bought a Z06, and this car is immaculate, not beat up in any way.
I know the obvious mods, QTP's, borla exhaust, BBK 80MM, SLP air lid and MAS, LS6 intake, Spec clutch...But it feels like the car has a cam. At idle, the shifter (m6) wobbles a little, like the engine is lopey. It idles stock sound wise, no real noticeable lopey sound, but it runs a little rough at less than 1500 rpm's and smooths out and pulls like a bandit up to 6K. With all the mods and only 30K on the car, it would seem to me that the previous owner probably dropped some coin on a cam. Is there any way to tell for sure? And if so, is there anyway to tell what cam was put in?
Besides porting the stock heads, I want to ensure that I get a nice streetable cam for it. I don't want to spend cash to buy a cam package only to find out I already have one installed, and maybe even a good one!
I know many of you will say you should have known what you bought, but except for engine internals, everything else I checked out in detail, but due to privacy rules, I have no way of find out the previous owner to ask about it.
Is there possibly another resource to find out who the previous owner was? Or if the car had a tune done to it, would having it hooked up for another tune reveal anything to me about what may have been done internally?
By the way, he traded this in and bought a Z06, and this car is immaculate, not beat up in any way.
Last edited by jaxnorth; Jun 2, 2005 at 12:32 PM. Reason: better title......
If the valve springs are stock then the cam is most likely stock also. I'd pull a valve cover and check that first. If you see double or colored springs, that would indicate non-stock springs. I believe the stock LS1 springs were not colored, I could be wrong.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 14,620
Likes: 17
From: BFE
To check a cam, you need to pull the timing cover and cam gear to check for any markings on the front of the cam.
If no markings on front, then they are on back, which means you have to pull the cam.
If unknown markings or no markings then you "cam doctor" the cam to know it's specs.
If no markings on front, then they are on back, which means you have to pull the cam.
If unknown markings or no markings then you "cam doctor" the cam to know it's specs.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 749
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From: Chandler, Arizona
Get a dial indicator and put it on the valve spring retainer. Rotate the engine and measure how far the valve travels. A stock cam is around .5" lift times the rocker ratio of 1.7 to give a total travel at the valve spring retainer of .85".
But the other people are also right, if it has stock valve springs, it's a stock cam, and also to find out exactly what cam you have you have to remove the cam gear and read the front of the cam.
But the other people are also right, if it has stock valve springs, it's a stock cam, and also to find out exactly what cam you have you have to remove the cam gear and read the front of the cam.
Originally Posted by nuzee
If the valve springs are stock then the cam is most likely stock also. I'd pull a valve cover and check that first. If you see double or colored springs, that would indicate non-stock springs. I believe the stock LS1 springs were not colored, I could be wrong.
Originally Posted by glennhl
Get a dial indicator and put it on the valve spring retainer. Rotate the engine and measure how far the valve travels. A stock cam is around .5" lift times the rocker ratio of 1.7 to give a total travel at the valve spring retainer of .85".
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Chandler, Arizona
Originally Posted by GuitsBoy
All cams, stock included, are measures in terms of valve lift. the .500 lift takes the stock 1.7:1 ratio into concideration already. If you took a micrometer to the actual cam lobes, the nose would be about .294" higher than the rest of the base circle.
Originally Posted by BigSteele
would the car title have the persons name on it? I forget what all is listed. Also, were the stock plates on it?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 48
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Thanks for all the responses. I guess I will have to pull a valve cover and then determine if the springs have been replaced, the cover comes off next. As for Carfax, the do not give the info on the report of the previous owners name and since it was from the dealership and its financed, I have no title to the car with the previous owners name.
I think once again that this board has given me a good sound method of figuring out if the came is stock or not. I love the way this thing runs, and if it has springs put in, then I will just buy a new set and install them, so I know there fresh and run it for a year before I replace them again.
Many thanks to all for their 2 cents worth..........
I think once again that this board has given me a good sound method of figuring out if the came is stock or not. I love the way this thing runs, and if it has springs put in, then I will just buy a new set and install them, so I know there fresh and run it for a year before I replace them again.
Many thanks to all for their 2 cents worth..........
